History of Halloween

The ancient Celtic people celebrated Samhain to mark the end of harvest season. It was a time when the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred, as ghosts visited earth. After the Roman Empire conquered the Celtic people, their festivals of Feralia (in which the the Romans honored the passing of the dead) and a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees, were combined with Samhain.

Taking place on November 1, the Catholic holiday of All Saints’ Day (All Hallows’ Day) also contributes to Halloween’s rich history. While All Saints’ Day honors the saints who have attained heaven, All Souls’ Day, celebrated a day later on November 2, honors those who have died but have not yet reached heaven.

Dressing up

The tradition originated as a way for the Celtic and other European people to hide from returning spirits. People wore masks when they left home after dark to make the ghosts think they were fellow spirits, and would place bowls of food outside to keep the

ghosts happy and out of their homes.

FROM TURNIPS TO

PUMPKINS

In the 19th century, people in Ireland and Scotland would carve faces into turnips and illuminate them with candles. The turnips would be placed along the streets to ward off evil spirits.

This arose from the legend of Stingy Jack, a mythical character in Ireland who was known for his evil deeds. Jack was said to have outsmarted even the Devil. When Jack died, the Devil took revenge by casting him into the dark night with only a coal ember in a carved-out turnip to light the way. That is how the tradition of the Jack-O-Lantern began.

When Irish immigrants settled in the

U.S., they brought the tradition with them. However, since there were no turnips, they used pumpkins instead.

“In 19th-century America, kids would carve a scary face in a pumpkin, light it up with the stub of a candle, and pop out from behind a fence, wall, or tree in the dark to frighten whoever happened to walk by,” Bannatyne said.

Romance

In the past, Scottish girls would throw hazelnuts named after suitors into fireplaces. If a nut burned instead of exploding, it represented their future husband. According to another tradition, girls also supposedly dreamed about their future husband after eating a mixture of walnuts, hazelnuts, and nutmeg on Halloween.

In colonial America, young women would peel an apple in one strip and throw it over their shoulder. The strip was supposed to land in the shape of the first letter of their future husband’s name. Bobbing for apples was also used as a fortune-telling game: Girls would mark apples before they went into a water tub, and if a man caught that particular fruit with his teeth, it determined a future coupling.

Over the years, Halloween has incorporated many traditions—everything from bonfires to haunted houses. Although the original Celtic traditions have evolved, Halloween is still a festive holiday.